US FAA ends review of Southwest Airlines after safety incidents

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had completed a safety review of Southwest Airlines (NYSE:) it opened in July after a series of incidents, including some that raised serious concerns and led to investigations.

The review “did not identify any significant safety issues,” the FAA said.

Southwest said it appreciated the opportunity to engage with the FAA “as part of our mutual dedication to safety.”

The FAA began the review after a Southwest plane in July flew at a very low altitude over Tampa Bay, Florida, one of a series of flights that raised questions about the carrier’s safety practices.

It followed other incidents including a flight in April that came within about 400 feet (122 meters) of the ocean off Hawaii after the first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column and the plane hit a maximum descent rate of about 4,400 feet per minute.

The FAA is also investigating another very low altitude flight that dropped to about 500 feet around 9 miles (14.5 km) from its destination airport in Oklahoma.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are also investigating a 737 MAX flight on May 25 that experienced a “Dutch roll” at 34,000 feet while en route from Phoenix, Arizona, to Oakland, California.

Such lateral asymmetric movements are named after a Dutch ice skating technique and can pose serious safety risks.

The FAA is also investigating a June flight that departed from a closed runway in Portland, Maine.

Southwest told pilots in September it would hold a safety day for them on a staggered basis through early 2025 allowing for frank discussions without fear of retribution, including “an in-depth, facilitated, peer-to-peer discussion about specific events.”

The FAA said in October had found no significant safety issues in a similar review of United Airlines after a series of incidents and ended its enhanced oversight and approval processes for that carrier to add aircraft and services.

Southwest did not face the same restrictions. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said it in September its review of Southwest was “a bit more narrow” than its examination of United.